This Postdoctoral Training Program, "Molecular Mechanisms Regulating Cancer Cell Proliferation," consists of 22 scientists from 10 departments at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who have a general interest in cancer cell biology and specific interests in the molecules that maintain the proliferation of neoplastic cells. Funds are requested for six training positions. The goal of this program is to train Ph.D.-, D.V.M.- and M.D.-level scientists in the questions and techniques relevant to this aspect of cancer biology so that they can become independent researchers with their own research programs. Upon completion of the training program, these scientists should be able to compete for the best positions in academic, government, or corporate biomedical research departments. Investigators trained in the analysis of regulatory molecules, including growth factors, growth factor receptors, proto-oncogenes, transcription factors, and molecules in the extracellular matrix, may pursue research that will affect our understanding of cancer etiology and establish systems useful in the molecular detection and diagnosis of specific tumors. The training program is designed to provide each trainee with a primary mentor (trainer) in whose laboratory the trainee will be instructed in the specific questions and techniques relevant to the research of the mentor's laboratory. The trainee will participate in the research effort and should make specific contributions to the research progress, which will be submitted to peer-reviewed journals for publication. In addition, the training program provides to the trainees a broader exposure to experimental approaches in tumor cell biology and to the clinical application of these approaches through mandatory participation in the program activities. Finally, the progress of each trainee in his or her research and in the other activities of the program will be evaluated annually by an Evaluation Committee made up of the Program Director and four senior trainers in the program. This evaluation will provide the trainee with constructive criticism through oral and written evaluations. The members of the Evaluation Committee will strive to help the mentors provide the trainees with the best possible preparation for independent careers in cancer research.